Consultant Alden & Associates has a final report ready to be presented to Chancellor Ruth Person Friday and shared with the media later in the day.

We don't know for sure what the report will say but we can make some guesses.

I have heard that the university's blue ribbon commission exploring sports was looking into offering four sport areas for women and three for men -- to reflect a student population that has traditionally been more than 60 percent female.

But what would those be?

Hockey, which has gained incredible momentum as a club sport at UM-Flint, is probably one of the best candidates to become a varsity sport first.

It's also likely that Flint officials have studied their sister campus in Dearborn, which has several varsity sports in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) including men's and women's basketball, volleyball and softball.

Baseball and softball are also good options for UM-Flint, as are soccer, volleyball and cross country.

The biggie, of course, would be offering a competitive men's and women's basketball program.

But it could be at least another year before anything actually happens.

The hold up, of course, is going to be money and resources.

The commission has probably explored the accessibility of all of its nearby facilities, including Atwood Stadium and Mott Community College -- which currently provides the only intercollegiate sports activity in Genesee County and could be a feeder school for UM-Flint sports.

Another idea I've heard is using the soon-to-be vacant Central High School for its pool and basketball courts.

Starting a varsity sports program for the first time in its history will be a great undertaking for the university -- a longtime commuter-only school that opened its first residence hall last year.

But the 1,000 college students expected to be living downtown by 2010 are going to be looking for things to do -- and cheering on a local team has always been a treasured piece of college life.

Some say this downtrodden blue-collar community that has produced some of sport's biggest stars (Yankees' Jim Abbott, Super Bowl champion Carl Banks and Flint basketball icon Mateen Cleaves to name a few) could use a little team spirit.

And many hope the consultant's upcoming report outlines a plan that gets sports off the ground while the momentum is still going.